Crotalaria cephalotes Steud. ex A.Rich.

First published in Tent. Fl. Abyss. 1: 156 (1848)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Tropical Africa. It is an annual and grows primarily in the seasonally dry tropical biome.

Descriptions

Leguminosae, various authors. Flora Zambesiaca 3:7. 2003

Morphology General Habit
Erect annual 10–70(100) cm tall, developing numerous curved-ascending branches, particularly from near the base, densely covered with long mostly spreading hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves almost all 3-foliolate, uppermost sometimes 1-foliolate, crowded and larger just below the inflorescences; leaflets mostly 15–30 × 4–6 mm, upper ones up to 50 × 8 mm, linear-oblanceolate to oblong-oblanceolate, rounded at the apex, long-cuneate to the base, pilose on both surfaces; petioles mostly 5–15 mm long, uppermost up to 2.5 cm, narrowly winged; stipules 0.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers in dense subsessile heads or racemes; bracts 1–2 mm long, setaceous; pedicel recurved near apex, without bracteoles.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 3–4 mm long, densely hairy; lobes narrowly triangular, 2–3 times as long as the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard obovate, pale yellow, marked red at the base inside, veined reddish and medially pubescent outside; wings nearly as long as the keel; keel 4–5.5 mm long, angular, with a narrow twisted beak.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod sessile, (4)5–6 × 3–5 mm, ovoid-globose to bluntly ellipsoid, densely pilose outside, hairy inside along upper suture behind the placenta, 2-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds 2–2.5 mm long, oblique-cordiform, smooth.
[FZ]

Papilionaceae, Hutchinson and Dalziel. Flora of West Tropical Africa 1:2. 1958

Morphology General Habit
A slightly woody herb, 6–18 in. high, often unbranched
Morphology Leaves
A tuft of leaves around the raceme
Morphology General Indumentum
Densely silky
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers
Flowers small, yellow
Ecology
In rocky places.
[FWTA]

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Zambezian grassland, Lake Victoria regional transition zone; grasslands, Guinea-Congolia/Sudania regional transition zone; grasslands., Somalia-Masai grasslands, Sudanian grasslands
Morphology General Habit
Annual, Not climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit
Erect annual, up to 3–7(–10) dm. tall, developing numerous curved-ascending branches particularly from near the base.
Morphology Stem
Stem densely hirsute with mostly spreading tawny hairs.
Morphology Leaves
Leaves 3-foliolate; leaflets linear-oblanceolate to oblanceolate-oblong, mostly up to 15–30 mm. long and 4–6 mm. wide, but the upper ones opposing and just below the inflorescences often larger, up to 50 mm. long and 8 mm. wide, rounded at the apex, long-cuneate, pilose on both surfaces with generally appressed hairs; petiole ± 6–15 mm. long, the uppermost up to 25 mm. long.
Morphology Leaves Stipules
Stipules absent.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences sessile dense racemes or heads, crowded at the top of the shoots surrounded by the larger spreading leaves, many-flowered; bracts filiform, 1–2 mm. long; bracteoles obscure.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx 3–4 mm. long, with the tube protracted on the lower side, densely hairy; upper lobes subulate-triangular, ± twice as long as the tube.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Standard obovate-orbicular, pale yellow, marked red at the base inside, veined reddish and pubescent outside; wings nearly as long as the keel; keel bent at right-angles in the lower third, with a narrow twisted beak, 4–5·5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod sessile, subglobose to ellipsoid, 5–6 mm. long, densely pilose, 2-seeded.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seeds oblique-cordiform, ± 2–2·5 mm. long, without a prominent aril, smooth, brown.
Figures
Fig. 135, p. 984.
Habitat
Short open grassland and Brachystegia woodland, rarely extending into deciduous bushland, also a frequent weed of cultivated ground; 400–2000 m.
Distribution
widespread in tropical Africa from Ghana to Ethiopia and south to Angola and the Transvaal K3 K4 K5 K6 T1 T2 T4 T5 T6 T7 T8 U1 U2 U3
[FTEA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora Zambesiaca

    • Flora Zambesiaca
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Flora of West Tropical Africa

    • Flora of West Tropical Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • Herbarium Catalogue Specimens

    • Digital Image © Board of Trustees, RBG Kew http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0